With Retrievers being one of the most popular breeds in America, it’s a safe bet that thousands upon thousands of hours are spent playing fetch each year. While you might think it’s just a form of play (and a fun party trick!), it’s actually much more: It’s a Retriever embracing his natural ability to respond […]

According to 2021 registration statistics, the Norwegian Lundehund is the rarest and least popular dog breed, ranking 197 of 197 breeds. But there's still a hole lot to love about this dog. A dozen or so years ago, potty-mouthed TV chef Gordon Ramsay visited Iceland for his first taste of puffin. With its orange beak […]

January 1952: The luxury passenger train City of San Francisco labored through deep snows and the winds of a fierce blizzard in the Sierra Mountains. With a final clatter, the train ground to a halt, snowbound with 226 passengers onboard—trapped in the infamous Donner Pass. Desperate to clear the tracks, Southern Pacific tried everything— and […]

The Icelandic Sheepdog's roots go back more than a thousand years. About 1,100 years ago, Norse settlers sailed west across the Norwegian Sea to Iceland. These seafaring pioneers set about creating a new Scandinavian country on the otherwise uninhabited island. Among the cultural touchstones they brought from Norway were the Nordic language and a taste […]

The Newfoundland holds a rich and noble place in history. These benevolent giants, best known as working companions and natural swimmers, have an instinctive drive to protect the waterfront and rescue people in distress – particularly those in water. Heroic tales abound of the powerful, bearlike dogs braving icy seas to rescue stranded boaters and […]

Not interested in watching the Big Game this Sunday? Want a break from football? Switch the channel to ESPN to enjoy highlights from the AKC National Championship at 8 p.m. ET and highlights from the AKC K9 Detection Dog Challenge at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 13. Check your local provider for your channel. […]

As a child with a passion for dogs, constantly bringing home the strays that crossed her path, Sylvia Calderwood read every book written by Albert Payson Terhune, the beloved author who was also a renowned Collie breeder. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that her heart was eventually captured by the Shetland […]

The story of “Woodbine, the Pandemic Puppy” starts with Christmas 2019 when James Canavan surprised his wife, Breedette Hayes, with a gift book, “The Curious History of Irish Dogs,” by David Blake Knox. “We live in New York City but are originally from Ireland, so we were keen to learn more about native breeds,” says […]

One of the oldest of the Arctic sled dog breeds, the Alaskan Malamute (Malamute) has a proud history of working and living in extremely harsh conditions. These tireless dogs are members of the Working Group, and their form and function directly relate to their origin of heavy freighting. They are not racing dogs, but are […]

The ability of dogs to put us humans in touch with our own spirituality, to draw our focus out of ourselves and cause us to reflect upon the wonders of nature, has not gone unrecognized by those who would perhaps understand this best. Dogs have long held a special place at monasteries worldwide, and certain […]